The Labor enquirer., 1887-03-19
A Careful Constellation Of the
Signs of the
Times.
COmrade w. C. Owen Has Some
thing More Of Importance
to Say to Us.
The Tendency Of the Times Shown by
Cuttings From the Capt..
talist Press.
FOR The ENQUIRER.
Associated Press Dispatches

placed, before the vatican formal state
ment Us 10 the nature OF the organization.
The primate treats alarm
ists' theories concerning the knights ol
Labor rs puerile. He says that nearly one
third Of the men belonging TO the organiza-
tlon are Catholics. Respecting the charge
that the association IL secret, the cardinal
says II IS hot secret society in The sense con-
demned By the church, and It consequently Is
exempt from canonical censure. In Cunada
lse case q different.
New YoRK, March 2-Cardinal Gibbons
favorable report to Pope Leo Xxx. was re-
ceived with much rejoicing by knights in
this y. 1t had been thought by many
leading Knights that the McGlynn contro.
yersy, and the attacks made by Henry
George on the church, would have preJu-
diced the authorities at Rome against the
order.
Before leaving for Rome the cardinal care
fully examined the manual OF the order. He
also held a long conference with Master
Workman Powderly, whom he regards as a
deyout and conservative Catholic.
BERLIS, March S.-The new German Reich
stag opened to-day. The emperor's speech
was read from the throne. In 1t he saws he
Is gratifiei at the benepoient disposition the
pope has shown toward the empires foreign
policy.
New YORK, March He (Dr. McGlynn)
attributed the blessing OF the pope to the In
fluence o Cardinal Gibbons and said the at
tltude which had been brought about by the
American cardinal towards the Knights Of
Labor Indicates that the sovereign pontif
has concluded TO aliow political liberty OF
thous Int and action In this country.
The reader with the penetrating eye
will observe that this is theme of four
consecutive mornings, and If he has a
retentive memory it will remind him
that very much this sort of intelligence
has been served up to us By the associ-
a'ed press dav after day for the last
twelve months. To-day il is Mr.. Pow.
defN in conference with the cardinals !;
to. morrow it is that the cardinals have
carefully investigated the secretsQD OF
the order; the next day we are made
l.aInv bv being informed that
the authorities at Rome do not consider
the order dangerous. And years slip by
without word of remonstrance on the
part oftLose who hol6 as one of their
waichwords--"Ni pretre, nj maitre"-
Neither briest nor master Whose
avowed object is supposed to be the
overthrow OF the competitive System
the system OF master and servant. Let
a thinker like Mr.. George break the ST.
lence and he will be forthwith piiloriedl
by hall the so.callel labor papers in the
country as traitor to tbs Cause.
There is talk OF federation OF the
various Sociali,t organizations of the
country. Certainly something of the
kind is necessary, if only to ascertain
the exact position of the Knights Of Labor
toward the Socialist movement. The
Soci lists OF this country have al a rule
been the most industrious supper ers of
the Knights OF Labor; they have IA
bored in its ranks TO spread tle truths
OF Socialism, and they have been In
duced to spend their time and labor be-
lieving that the declaration Of prime pies
was Issued in good faith. and that the
order was actually Socialisiic. Have
we been duped ?" is the question that
hundreds of Socialists are asking them
selves to-day?
II however it has become absolutely
necessary to define the exact position OF
the Knights Of Labor as an organization,
there are otl.er issues OF still greater
magnitude pressing to the from for solu-
tion which must be net; issues which
will force US to far deeper considera-
ton of what the Soc.alisiic or, if 1t
please you better, the Labor Emancipa
ton Movement really means. The En-
ouIRER processes 10 be- handling the
labor aud not the religious question |;
but is il possible 10 separate the two?
II by the word religion" were meant
sin ply ones belief as to future exist
ence the separation might be possible ;
but unfortunately neither the R man
Catholic, nor any other church, thus re-
st,icts the word. They are not content
to merely foretell and describe futu re
hereafter; they take it upon themselves
to instruct their followers how to get
there. They thrust themselves into
the field Of morals y tEey propose to
teach men their duty, not to God, but
to one another. Is it necessary to s. y
that the moral question is at the veri
bottom of the presen. upheavai
Talk about leaving the religious Ques
tion alone as we will, there is no such
thing possible as eliminating the moral
factor from the labor problem /; for the
possibility or impossioility of our. work
ing in unison with the churches will de-
pend precisely upoa the similarity OF
divergence of our codes Of morals. How
does this matter stand between the SO.
clslists and the Roman Catholic church,
in both oil, which camps Mr.. PowderlS
apparently has f5ot?. Compare tbs
two creeds Absolute libertv-anquss-
tionins obedience t. authority; charit,
extended by the rich 10 the poor wba
the poor want is Justice and not charity